Prior animal cushioning devices comprised of either a plurality of combined fabric chamber packed with comminuted rubber for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,195 or utilizing a gelatinous material again housed within a plurality of chambers forming a mattress (WO2011/054091). While such mattresses do provide cushioning, the uneven surface generated by plurality of chambers fosters hygiene issues amongst the livestock as these mattresses can be challenging to clean. Furthermore, the resiliency of the cushioning with the age of the mattress does begin to taper off, thus limiting the longevity of the mattress.
Another form of prior art is the inflatable kayak type boat U.S. Pat. No. 7,861,662 which utilizes the drop stitch structure to form a single floatation chamber. However the kayak of this prior art is solely pressurized with air, and not designed to resist the weight and forces imparted by large animals, as this term is defined below.
Another form of prior art is the inflatable cushioning device with manifold system U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,795 which uses a manifold system for providing separately adjustable pressure zones within a single cushioning device for human patients. Nevertheless, this prior art is designed for use with a single human patient and not designed to withstand the weight and forces imparted by large animals.
What is needed is a cushioning device that is capable of absorbing and withstanding the dynamic and static forces imposed by large animals, all the while maintaining or exceeding the level of comfort posed by existing products. What is also needed is a cushioning device that maintains resiliency with age, thus increasing the longevity of the device. What is also needed is to utilize a manifold system to enable customizing the firmness and softness of a plurality of cushioning devices for one animal up to several animals.